I met a lot of people who were telling me that I have a great idea, but finally noone was willing to come with me. Either the trip was too long or it was too expensive, too unsave

That's the story of the next days. I met some friends, I tasted delicious food, and had the experience at the immigration office. This procedure was like in my country with precise instructions, much money to pay, fill out a lot of papers - what the hell is that good for? I got the feeling that every traveller is suspected for illigal immigration, and why the hell the gouverment wants 3 US$ for each day? I thought the Tugrik is the currency of the country. So I had to change my Euro currency into Tugrik, change the Tugrik in US$ and paid my 45$.

The ambassador in Berlin told me that there is no Visa for 2 months or for 6 weeks and they have now new rules. I met a peace corps volunteer from Erdenet, who applied for a 6 months visa extension, and he was also in trouble. Finally I had to wait 4 days to get my passport, and there was the labour day which is a public holiday in Mongolia.

When I got back my passport I was not amused, to be forced to wait 4 days for a 15 days extension. That's something really to complain, rigid rules for travellers, and to top everything I got two passports. That's about the strict rules, and the correctness of the immigration office. I have no idea what could have happened to the owner of the other passport. As a brave citizen I brought it back, supprising the officer. I calmed my anger with a Khan Bräu dark, a very delicious beer on a hot day.

The brewery was founded by a German computer engeneer. Because he came from the Schwabenland (a county near of Stuttgart) and the traditional food Spätzle is very similar to the noodles in the mongolian Zuivan Khool he settled down in UB. With a mongolian friend he purchased later the APU company, and actually it's the biggest brewery in Mongolia.

I was looking for a bus transport, and in the Lonely Planet there is a bus stop near the train station mentioned. But this was not the right one, these bus drivers were for hire, but mostly for expeditions or smaller transports. The real overland bus station is at the west end of the city, some kilometers behind the Bayangol quarter. But I wanted to take the train for my first part of the trip. I didn't meet any traveller exept a south korean with the name Moon. He was also waiting for other travellers, but finally I decided to leave at May, 8th. I said to him, he might come with me or not, it's not a problem for me. So we departed at this evening, heading for Erdenet.

This is a small train station on the way to Erdenet

This is the longest railway track, and for the distance of 400 km we needed 9 hours. But it was comfortable, with a TV screen in every cabin. Next day we stopped, but the train station is 10 km away from Erdenet. So we had to take a taxi. In Erdenet we stopped at the local overland bus stop. Peaple from western countries will miss the shiny greyhound busses with air condition, waiting halls, departure tables.... but everything is here. Most of the cars and busses had a destination panel, there was a restaurant inside and a small market.

Erdenet can also be reached by fast or comfortabale busses in 4 or 6 hours.... Moon felt very sick, and went back to UB.

My next destination was Murun (Mөрөн) and a bus was found quickly. The bus should depart at 14 o'clock. While I was waiting for the departure I could see a lot of interesting transportations, like the three horses on the japanese truck. Mongolian mentality means, 2 pm is the most optimistic departure time if enough passengers are present, the driver must be present and so on.

The Mongolians are patient people, and don't care about the behaviour of the drivers. Western visitors may have special thoughts about this, but here it is usual. So another 3 hours of waiting, and 16 adults and 3 children are sitting in a 10 seat bus. But a mongolian bus driver starting a ride with only 10 passengers? Impossible. It would have been possible to buy the fuel in advance. And the carburettor problem could have been fixed in advance, at least he could have noticed it. At 3 pm a wodka-smelly man entered the bus, offered to us a drink, and finally left. My name was mentioned 'foreigner' on the passenger list, because noone could write my name Andreas.

This is a precise list of incidents happening at the begin of a bus trip

17 uhr: Departure, getting fuel
17.01 Uhr: a policeman stops the bus, checks the travel permits, and we continued.
17.05 The bus driver neets to pie. He does it behind the bus.
17.06 The bus driver smokes a cigarette.
17.15 We are on the road.
18.30 The carburettor problem stops us from climbing steel streets. Outside it is below 0 degrees, rain and snow are in the clouds. But the driver fixes the carburettor inside of the bus, because the motor is accessible from the inside. But this stop gave us an very impressive view to the countryside

Felt temperature: -10 degrees, I wished to have gloves and a cap.

19.30 The motor starts, and now we can reach the speed limit of the engine, nearly 80 km/h. After Erdenet there are nearly 100 km of tar paved roads, so the progress seemed to be fast.

20.30 The street is now a sandy track. I am sitting as the 5th person on three seats.

22 Uhr: Break for a meal. Suutai tsai and Tsuivan Khool and ketchup. The travel books are wrong about public transport. The books mostly say that the drivers never stop. But now they do, and I assume that the book writers (lonely Planet and Reise-Know-How) have never been in a public transport.

The night: Hail, snow storm, rain. The track disappeared, but the driver has an unseen pathfinding talent. It is cold, uncomfortable, and for me it is impossible to sleep. Maybe I slept for some minutes, but then I woke up.

3 Uhr: two passengers are leaving in a city with no name.
6 Uhr: Stop at a Ger, some passengers drink tea and have a small breakfast
8.10 : arrival in Murun, at the bus stop

a typical lunch station

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